Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up with a young mother, so I was exposed to MTV and live music at a very young age. It just looked like so much fun – it was only a matter of time until I tried it myself.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Mourning Coffee”?
A: Mourning Coffee is all about using your pain to better yourself and others, and to live twice as hard for the ones we’re grieving. I know social media is silly, but on top of traditional PR and local shows I enjoy making content online to help expose our music to new people.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I’m torn between Death Cab, Ben Howard, Hovvdy and The Cure’s latest record. It’s hard to just pick one. Aside from listening to other artists and writing about my own experiences, I also find inspiration in books and films. ‘A Slow Hearse Leaves Everyone Yearning’ is very much inspired by books like ‘The Great Gatsby’ and films like ‘Lost Highway’.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the album, “A Slow Hearse Leaves Everyone Yearning.”?
A: From the title, its all about how slowly letting go of someone or something we’ve held onto for so long is not only hard but the longer we linger the more space for yearning and hesitation we create. The tracklist itself follows the stages of grieving starting with denial all the way to acceptance. And even then, the mood and lyrics aren’t linear since the actual mourning process is messy itself.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: The one word that comes to mind is “healing”. It’s what our music is all about, and the songwriting is designed with that in mind.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording the album?
A: There were a few ideas that took me awhile to flesh out through a variety of demos. Some songs required to the help of my producer friend Sam Stauff – one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding the recording process. And anything I could quite get right in my home studio we were able to capture at his far more professional studio.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: As mentioned before the message is healing. Healing from our trauma, facing our darkness, and alchemizing our pain into personal growth and expression – whether it be artistic or otherwise.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Funny enough I’ve already collaborated with my dream artist and on this record actually! The featured artist on ‘We Are Love’ – John Vineyard – is the former singer/songwriter of my favorite band of all time El Gato, and it was an absolute dream to actually have him on one of our songs after being influenced/inspired by his work for over 20 years now.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: The industry is tough, but if you have the ability to turn your pain into music I feel it’s worth sharing regardless. The more you write and perform, the better you get over time. And if you stick with it it’s only a matter of time until you get recognized. There are many different levels to this industry and now more than ever there’s a market for almost everything. So just start doing it and never stop – especially if it’s something you love.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Don’t hold your best material back for some potential future deal, don’t be afraid to change up what you do to meet the moment, and don’t be afraid to walk away from certain projects if the mix just isn’t right. Not just songs but bands as well; both may sound/feel good for a time, but once that feeling changes don’t be afraid to change with it.
